Lynds in Real Life

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Health

Mental Health: Supporting a Loved One With Depression

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The past year that we have all had has taken its toll in many different ways. Physical health has been impacted, as well as family dynamics, finances, and not forgetting mental health. Anxiety, depression, and loneliness has been reported as being on the increase, with more people talking to a doctor about these issues. You may be even feeling them yourself. But today, it is all about how to help a loved one with depression. It can be a challenge, but if someone close to you has depression, then you may wonder what on earth you can do to help. Here are some of the things that you can do to help understand them, help them, and help them to be able to cope.

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Encourage Treatment

When someone has depression it can be hard for them to pinpoint it themselves. They might not recognize that they are depressed or be able to acknowledge that they are depressed. They themselves may not know what the signs of depression are, and if it has been going on for a while, may not realize that it isn’t normal to feel the way that they do. Many people can feel ashamed or embarrassed by being depressed, and if they do acknowledge it in themselves, may think that they can manage it by themselves. You can help them, though, as without treatment, it is rare to feel better. Encourage them to seek professional help and advice and be a support to them when they need it.

Help them to live a healthy lifestyle

Although most medical treatments can help those with depression, there are some things that people with depression can do to give themselves a fighting chance to feel better. When they move more and eat a balanced diet, it is going to give them the energy that they need to get through the day, even when they don’t feel like it. If you live with someone with depression, encourage them to exercise and work together to cook healthy foods and make healthy meal choices. Of course, you can’t get them to stop all of their negative habits. Stopping smoking when depressed could be too much for them, so you could support them with pink pre-rolled cones to make things easier until they are ready to quit and feeling like they have more willpower. Small, healthy steps can make a big difference.

Know the signs and symptoms to look out for

For a lot of people with depression, some of the signs and symptoms can be quite subtle, but for others, it can be quite obvious. If there are noticeable changes in how they go about their day-to-day activities, then it means that there is an issue. People can feel sad or low, but depression can mean lack of interest in anything, changes in appetite, anxiety, interrupted sleep, suicidal thoughts, physical ailments, and others. Being aware of what the signs and symptoms of depression are can really make a difference and help you to help them, perhaps before they even know that they need help.

Thank you for reading!

Health

4 Habits That Will Make You A Happier You

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The idea of true happiness differs from person to person. For some, happiness means being at peace with who and where they are. For others, true happiness is finally seeing life plans falling to place. However, regardless of what your definition of happiness is, there are some habits you can adopt today to make you a happier person. So, what habits put you on the journey to Nirvana? Here are four practices to make you a happier you today!

  1. Keep a gratitude journal

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Journaling is a great way to organize your thoughts, express yourself, and make plans. Keeping a gratitude journal gives you the chance to express the joys of your life, no matter how big or small. Jotting down the little things that have made you happy every day is a small way to overcome the emotional upsets you may have. It also brings you to the realization that there is always something to be happy about! Besides writing them down, you can keep a photo journal. Apps such as ForKeeps help you create a digital album, easily accessible on your devices. Therefore, you can capture moments and other things you are grateful for.

  1. Declutter your space

Yes, you read that right! Developing the habit of decluttering once in a while can make you happier. According to scientists, being around clutter has adverse effects on your mental health, as it can increase stress levels and lower self-control. However, decluttering elevates your feelings of accomplishment and productivity, making you happier. It also brings about a sense of order and organization, which gives you a free mind. Therefore, do not see decluttering as one of the many daunting chores you need to do. Instead, view it as an activity that would help you be a happier person.

  1. Go on “ghost mode”

Sometimes, ditching your phone is a great way to be happier. The biggest distraction most people deal with today is their phones. There is always someone to text, a story to follow, social media trends to update yourself on, etc. As great as phones are, it is important to unplug. Turn off your notifications or delete apps such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to take a break from the adverse effects these apps may have. You can pick up other activities, such as going for a walk, meeting some friends, reading a book, or meditating.

  1. Practice self-care

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Unfortunately, this fast-paced world has made it easy to forget to take care of yourself from time to time. Self-care, contrary to what many may think, is not an act of selfishness at all. It is essential to give your mind and body the TLC it deserves. Take some time to take a nice warm relaxing bath, adopt a skincare routine, cuddle up with some wine to binge-watch your favorite movies and show. You should also consider exercising and healthy eating in your self-care routine.

Being a happier person is not a challenge, and these four habits would set you on the right path. And, don’t forget to smile!

Thank you for reading!

Health

5 Things You’re Doing That’s Messing Up Your Life

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Most people tend to adopt behaviors that ruin their lives, and often without knowing it. What such people fail to realize is that if they want to lead a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life, they need to make the right decisions, no matter how trivial or significant they are.

Every day, every human faces a battle against various things that contribute to failure. However, as long as you remain persistent and make better choices, you can overcome such setbacks. To make things a little easier for you, here are some of the things you could be doing that are screwing up your life.

1. Lack of Committing to a Goal(s)

Of course, everyone has a goal in life. And these goals are what make people get up every day and work on being productive. You may have a goal to become financially secure by the time you reach a certain age.

You may have a goal to start a family, change your career, hit the gym every day, drink water regularly, buy a car, house, and many other things. However, the sad truth is that most people fail to commit to such goals. Failure to commit to a plan leads to a lack of acts that can help achieve and fulfill such goals.

Without a goal, you are headed nowhere. And without a goal commitment, you are more than likely to receive mediocre results. Therefore, it would be best to ensure you commit to all the goals you have in life. And committing means finding ways to achieve them and not giving in to any temptations. By this, you can avoid screwing up your life.

2. You Don’t Have a Fitness or Health Routine

Being healthy and fit should be a part of your life, no matter where you are. This is one of the best ways to live happily and boost your self-esteem and confidence. Besides, living healthily can help you achieve your goals in life. For instance, if your goal is to be productive at work, how can you achieve this if you are not mentally and physically fit?

Be it as it may, there is more to having a health and fitness routine. If you fail to commit to what you do, you will not achieve your desired results. Also, committing and adjusting to changes are guaranteed ways that lead to better health results.

There are multiple health routines you can adapt and stick to in life. For instance, you can make it a habit to meditate in the morning if you want to maintain your mental sanity. Have you tried indulging in cold therapy treatment? This is where you submerge your whole body in cold water daily.

There are many health benefits of cold therapy, such as increased happiness, boosting your immunity, and reduced weight loss. If you haven’t tried this out yet, you should definitely consider doing so!

You can also have a healthy routine of going for a run in the morning, hitting the gym regularly, taking healthy meals, getting enough sleep, and drinking a lot of water.

3. Lack of Progress in Your Career

Another thing you may be doing that’s s negatively affecting your life is lack of progress in your career. There are various things you can do to ensure you achieve your full professional potential. Reaching your full professional potential can mean getting a better role in your company or changing your career to something you like.

Sometimes, you can ruin your life by sticking to a career you don’t like. And if you don’t want your job, you tend to be less productive, which leads to a lack of progress. Fortunately, there are proven ways that can help you progress in your career.

For instance, you can start by finding a career mentor. Even if you don’t want to move up the ladder in your job, you must have someone who can advise you on what to do about your career. Career mentors are valuable to have. They can help you set a goal, commit to it, and even help you find light in your career path.

To progress in your career, you should also find ways to boost your skills. While most companies invest in their employees by strengthening their skills, it is also fundamental that you invest in your skills. Look into your various career goals and determine what skills you need to upgrade.

4. You Are Always Procrastinating

Procrastination of various activities in your life is detrimental to your health. Procrastination is the act of postponing or delaying activities where you promise to do them later. While others have good reasons for postponing specific actions, others tend to make it an unhealthy habit.

Procrastination can lead to a lack of achieving your goals in life. It can also make you experience high levels of stress, guilt, frustration, and anxiety. These are primarily mental effects. And if you have poor mental health, it will have impacts on other aspects of your life.

To avoid screwing up your life, it would be best to avoid procrastinating. The first step to overcome this habit is accepting you are doing it. Secondly, identify the primary cause of your procrastination habit. After that, ensure you commit to all your tasks, minimize distractions, reward your efforts, and most importantly, have someone check up on you to keep you moving.

5. You Live in Regrets

By living in regrets, you are screwing up your life every minute. Living in regrets can have adverse impacts on your health. For one, regret can make you experience sadness, which impacts your mental health. It can also lead to high anxiety levels by continually thinking about the better choices you could have made at a certain point in life.

Living in regret also causes feelings of shame, and it can limit you from making better choices in life. Therefore, it would be best to avoid living your life in regret. You can do so by forgiving yourself for your past mistakes and finding better ways to change the situation. If not, you should accept and embrace your mistakes and make better choices in the future.

If you want to be happy and live a fulfilling life, it would be best to consider the above things. Start by having a goal in life and stick to it no matter what. Additionally, ensure that you adopt a healthy and fitness routine, find ways to progress in your career, avoid procrastination, and don’t live in regret!

Thank you for reading!

Health

Can Staying Fit Benefit Your Mind? Absolutely!

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People are often so focused on their physical health that they forget about their mental health completely. But perhaps the two are tied more closely together than people originally believe. Indeed, various research suggests that if you focus on staying physically fit, then you will improve your mental health at the same time. It’s worth exploring why this is the case and what steps you should take to ensure that your physical activities do provide benefits for your mental wellbeing. 

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Combatting Issues With Depression 

Depression is far more common than most people realize. Indeed, some studies suggest that there are 264 million people across the world who are dealing with some form of long-term depression. Depression is labeled as any deep sadness that lasts for an extended period. This could be a few weeks or months. Depression can even linger for years if left untreated. Could the right workout routine be part of the answer to combating issues with depression? 

Experts were quick to point out how important it was that people continued with their traditional routines during the coronavirus lockdowns. If they didn’t do this, researchers warned that they would throw their schedule off balance completely. This could lead to longer, restless nights and trouble getting up in the morning. If you have no purpose and no point to the day you will always struggle to get up in the morning at the right time. Exercise can be the answer. You can start an exercise routine in the morning that will help you kick your day into focus and provide you with the boost in energy that you need. 

Exercise also causes the chemicals to flow through the brain. It can provide you with just the right positive attitude that you need to start your day on the right footing. 

Dealing With Stress

Exercise is also a great way of dealing with stress. In the past year alone, one research study suggested that most than 75% of people had felt severely overwhelmed at some point. Again, this is likely tied to the pandemic however stress was already on the rise. Don’t forget, polls have suggested that job satisfaction levels are at an all-time low and have been for quite some time. 

So, how can you deal with stress? Well, exercise is a fantastic choice. With the right exercise, you can work off the tension that you have built up through the day. Studies suggest that there are certain exercises that are incredibly calming. For instance, you could think about trying studio pilates. People who complete exercise like this swear that as well as strengthening their body it also helps them strengthen their mind at the same time. As such, it could be highly beneficial if you do constantly feel overwhelmed throughout the day. You might be struggling to fit exercise into what could be quite a busy schedule. 

However, there are always ways that you can do this with possibilities like desk yoga. As the name suggests, desk yoga is an exercise that you complete at your desk. As such, they can be squeezed into the typical lunch hour. 

A Good Night Sleep

Studies show that you need a good night of sleep to function effectively each day. The general consensus among researchers is that we should be aiming for about eight hours of sleep each night. This isn’t an impossible bar to reach but some people find getting to sleep at night incredibly difficult. Now, you might try a range of options to help you sleep at night. For instance, some people use melatonin tablets to give them the extra shot of the right hormone that they need to rest their eyes. However, it could be that you are not getting enough exercise throughout the day. 

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If you are struggling to sleep, then you should try working out before bed. In doing so, you can make sure that your body and your mind are both tired enough when your head does finally hit the pillow. 

Killing Confidence Issues

Confidence is an important aspect of your mental health. If you don’t have a high level of self-confidence, then you’re going to struggle in various aspects of your life. You will struggle to succeed with personal and professional goals. It’s unfortunate but true to say that many people find their confidence is tied to the way they look and whether they feel fat or overweight. As such, losing weight and getting in shape could benefit your mental health, simply by ensuring that you do have the confidence in life that you need. People often think that losing weight is going to be a massive challenge, but it doesn’t have to be. 

Instead, you can think about completing exercises that aren’t too strenuous regularly. This could include swimming. Indeed, studies suggest that swimming is one of the best ways to lose weight without causing painful issues. This is because it helps relax your muscles and joints. 

Staying Young 

Finally, it’s worth noting that research does suggest that working out and completing regular exercise can help you stay young. We don’t mean that in an abstract sense either. Studies suggest that exercise will cause your cells to age far more slowly than usual. Particularly, if you are dealing with inflammation that can be caused from over-exercising. To do this, you need to complete exercises like yoga that will help tone up your body without putting it under too much pressure. You might also want to consider using ice baths. Ice bathing is used by celebrities and athletes as a way to heal the body. Don’t forget, if you keep your body and mind young you could potentially avoid developing severe conditions like dementia later in life. 

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We hope this helps you understand how staying physically fit could potentially benefit your mental health in the long term. By taking the right steps here, you can guarantee that there is far less chance that you will develop various issues with your mental health from depression to dementia. 

Thank you for reading!

Health

How To Stop Your Emotions Getting The Better of You in Any Situation

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Being emotional is not a bad thing. Having emotions often means we are fully experiencing life, and that we aren’t emotionally stunted. However, just because we have strong emotions doesn’t mean we need to have outbursts, alienate those close to us, or create problems in other ways. Emotions are there for us to learn, and understand what triggers us. In fact, the things that trigger us often do so because they remind us of a time we felt similarly when we were younger. If you’re struggling with your emotions and you believe they are getting the better of you, let’s take a look at how you can stop this from happening:

Figure Out If There’s A Problem You Need To Address

Having strong emotions is not the issue – it’s an issue when they are causing you trouble in your life. For example, your emotions may be:

  • Causing trouble with your friends
  • Making it difficult to relate to other people
  • Causing trouble at work 
  • Giving you an urge to use substances to dull down your emotions
  • Causing outbursts that you struggle to control 

Remember, This is About Regulation

You’re not trying to repress your emotions, you’re simply trying to regulate them. If you try to prevent yourself from feeling your emotions because they are too difficult to deal with, you may experience anxiety, sleep issues, muscle tension, depression, and more. You need to find a healthy balance when it comes to feeling and expressing your emotions – not feeling any emotion at all is a cause for concern and could mean you’re just sweeping them under the rug and hoping they will disappear. 

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Label What You’re Feeling

  • What are you feeling? – are you feeling confused, anxious, or irritated? Try to get specific. 
  • What has made you feel this way? – a friend made a comment that triggered you and made you feel stupid, for example. 
  • Does the situation have a different explanation that could make sense? – your friend may not have realized that a certain subject was sensitive for you, and may have genuinely meant no harm. ]
  • What do you initially want to do to cope with these feelings? – perhaps you want to snap at your friend, or say something hurtful to them. 
  • Is there a healthier way you can cope with these feelings? – if you don’t feel calm enough or ready to address right away that what your friend said upset you, try going for a walk or stepping away until you can explain why you’d prefer they don’t do it again. 

Accept Your Emotions 

There’s nothing worse than getting into the habit of feeling guilty for having feelings and beating yourself up over and over again. Accepting your emotions is key. Oftentimes, kids are made to feel silly for having emotions. We need to realize that emotions are healthy. 

Test Various Coping Mechanisms

Some people find it helpful to go for a run when they feel stressed. Some people like to roll up a newspaper and hit a pillow. Others meditate. Some take supplements and try water bongs. You might like to try a few of these things. What works for you will always vary to what works for another. 

Give Yourself A Little Space

Remember, it’s ok to leave a situation that you find upsetting until you are ready to deal with it. Try distracting yourself until you don’t feel as intensely – just make sure you do come back to your feelings. Don’t sweep them under the rug!

Thank you for reading!

Health

9 Things That Can Affect Your Mental Health

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Have you ever experienced or been affected by mental illness? If you are struggling or you know someone who is, you may find that it’s fairly overwhelming to see all of the treatment options in front of you. Before you can go for any treatment, you first need to know the things that are affecting your mental health. This can be just as stressful to figure out as anything else.

You cannot treat mental health issues with lifestyle changes alone. In fact, you should look at the right treatment options for your current mental health, and go from there. Your physical health can be a big factor in how good or bad your mental health is. For example, you can learn more about how your hearing affects your mental health and find that you are feeling isolated because you are struggling to hear. It’s important that you know what the issues are so you can improve things. Though changes to your lifestyle alone won’t work, you can still make lifestyle changes and bind them together with professional treatment. Below, we’ve put together a list of nine things that can affect your mental health.

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Lack of Exercise
You need to move to feel healthy, and if you stop moving properly, you will start to feel it and more than just in your body. Your mental health can suffer when you don’t get moving enough. Exercise brings you social options, the chance to burn a little adrenaline and the chance to focus on your weight. Exercise has been proven to be as effective as medication, and it can help you to reduce pain, too. There’s no magical amount of exercise you should be doing, but you should do enough to make your heart rate rise a little.

Smoking

Smoking is a common habit for those with mental health issues. Therapists would recommend smoking as a way to alleviate stress, but of course, we know that smoking affects your lungs and your blood vessels. Quitting smoking is a challenge, but the chance to focus on your health will improve your mental health. Quitting smoking will benefit your mental health in just a few short weeks. You’re not taking in those toxins anymore, and your moods will improve as you are not relying on the cigarettes to see you through.

Bad Diet

Food is not (by definition) medicine, and there are a range of foods that you might eat that make you feel awful. Unhealthy choices in excess can make you feel sluggish and fatigued. With the right minerals and vitamins in your food, you can boost your mood and your brain power (and use the good food as medicine!).

Poor Physical Health

Mind and body work together in sync. When your physical health is poor, your mental health suffers as a result. Some physical health conditions can affect your brain and this can lead to depression.

Loss of Hearing

Believe it or not, your hearing can affect your mental health. A lack of hearing can isolate you and affect you socially, and this is not what you want to worry about. Speaking to an audiologist can help you to assess your hearing health and you can feel a marked improvement in your mental health, too.

Lack Of Socializing

As with hearing issues, you will find your mental health suffers when you have no social time. Friendship can make a huge difference to your life, and the way in which you perceive the world around you is better when you have good friends surrounding you. If you have a busy social life, even just hobbies to get involved in around other people, your mental health will improve.

Abusive Relationships

Are you being gaslighted? Manipulated? Ignored? All of this behavior can affect your mental health, and you can see many studies that prove that healthy relationships help us to think better and be better. Toxic relationships can be devastating to your mental health.

Meditating

A positive one! Your mental health can be positively impacted when you meditate and have calmness in your life. Make sure that you are indulging in deep breathing regularly.

Great Sleep

Another positive one! A good night of sleep can make a big difference to your mental health. Sticking to a good sleeping routine can make all the difference to you, and it will mean you feel physically and mentally healthier!

Thank you for reading!

Health

3 Simple Steps To Help You Achieve Ultimate Relaxation

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2020 has seen many of us experience higher levels of stress, and more regular stress, than any year before. Why? Well, on top of the usual stress we’d experience as part of our day to day lives, we’ve all been dealing with the consequences of the global coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic. This pandemic has added a whole host of extra stressors to our daily experiences, ranging from health concerns to concerns for vulnerable loved ones to money worries.

This extra added stress threatens our overall happiness, health and wellbeing with physical, emotional and behavioral consequences. Physical consequences can range from headaches, to muscle tension, fatigue, sleep problems, and more. Emotional consequences can include anything from anxiety to irritability, restlessness, sadness and a lack of motivation. This can all result in behavioral consequences, such as emotional outbursts, undereating, overeating, withdrawal and worse.

So, if you’re starting to feel stressed, it’s time to take action and to actively implement relaxation into your day to day life. Here are some ideas that could help you to achieve this!

  1. Consider Massage

If you’re in an area where massage is permitted under Covid-19 restrictions and guidelines, it could be a great place to start when it comes to alleviating tension, relaxing yourself, and generally making you feel a whole lot less stressed. Massage is a practice that can really help when it comes to releasing the tension that you’re likely to feel when stressed. When you go for a massage, a professional and qualified massage therapist will rub and knead your muscles and joints, relieving tension and pain as they go. On the whole, this process often proves to be deeply calming and relaxing. Not only does the massage itself help, but the majority of spas that hold massages will ensure that they’re carried out in a truly soothing atmosphere and environment, often dimming lighting and playing calming music or sounds while the massage takes place. Just make sure to book the right type of massage! A sports massage, for example, serves as a form of therapy and can be harsher and even painful. Instead, opt for a relaxation massage, which will better suit your needs.

2. Try Calming Teas

Now, this may seem unbelievable, but a warm cup of tea really can help you to relax and can soothe you. Many of us feel a real sense of comfort when drinking any warm drink and there are specific teas out there that are supposed to give extra calming elements in every cupful. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, you may want to seek out caffeine-free teas for the best results. Some of the most calming teas include:

  • Green tea
  • Chamomile tea
  • Peppermint tea
  • Lemon balm tea
  • Valerian root tea

3. Practice Mindfulness

If you haven’t yet heard of mindfulness, or simply haven’t considered giving it a try yourself, you should consider it now. Mindfulness is by no means a new practice. In fact, it’s been practiced around the world for centuries. But it has only become popular and widely practiced in Western culture in more recent years. Put simply, mindfulness is a practice that will help you to become aware of everything that’s going on around you, but that will encourage you to let all of these things pass without judgement. It can help you to stop worrying and focusing on the negative in life and can radically alter your mindset, helping you become more optimistic and hopeful. Of course, you may struggle to get used to practicing mindfulness at first, but don’t worry or doubt yourself. There are countless free online tutorials and apps available online that can introduce you to the basics and really help you to get to grips with mindfulness. These tutorials can increase in difficulty as you progress, guiding you through your journey and significantly changing your life!

Of course, if you’re feeling overwhelmed with stress and are struggling to cope with it, we’d highly recommend that you reach out for professional help and assistance. This could be in the form of a doctor or a therapist. Generally speaking, it’s best to first reach out to a doctor, who can diagnose any underlying conditions that could be contributing to your stress and refer you on for therapy or provide medication – or implement a combination of the two approaches. Otherwise, if your stress is less consuming, hopefully, some of the above suggestions will help you out!

Thank you for reading!

Health

Three Types of Therapy That Will Change Your Life

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Although more and more people are attending therapy in this day and age, it is still an undiscovered game-changer for many people. Most people consider therapy to be something you attend when you are severely mentally ill, or have undergone a huge, devastating blow, like the death of a loved one. Similarly, there are certain types of therapy, such as ESDM therapy, designed for autistic children, which is highly specialized for individuals with certain conditions. While it is true that therapy is necessary for those situations, anyone and everyone can benefit from having a therapist. We all carry trauma, although some people carry more and others less, and we all have unhealthy habits or mentalities which would benefit from being challenged.

 If you have never considered going to therapy, here are three types of therapy which will change your life for the better. 

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  1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioral therapy, also known as CBT, is a very popular form of therapy worldwide. It consists of a trained therapist having one-on-one sessions with a patient who is experiencing any kind of difficulties with their thoughts, emotions or interactions with others – such as depression, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, paranoia or guilt. This type of therapy seeks to help the patient understand what thoughts are, how they operate and how our brains can form patterns of thinking. If you are having anxious thoughts all the time, eventually your brain will automatically go down the anxiety route when anything happens. CBT seeks to help your brain un-learn all of the negative cognitive behaviors in your brain and learn fresh, rational ways of thinking. It involves making diaries and doing cognitive exercises with your therapist. 

  1. EMDR Therapy 

EMDR therapy, standing for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a form of therapy which involves consciously replicating the REM stages of sleep with a therapist. When we sleep, our eyes move backwards and forwards under our lids – this is called REM, rapid eye movement, and it allows our brain to process what has happened over the day. 

If we go through a particularly traumatic experience, our brains can’t process it properly using REM. So instead it gets stored away unprocessed, and can return to us in the form of PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder, which can involve flashbacks and panic attacks. EMDR therapy involves thinking about the experience, bringing it to the front of your mind, and moving your eyes back and forth as if you were in the REM stages of sleep. It helps us process traumatic events. 

  1. Talk Therapy

Sometimes the best way to deal with a difficult event is through talking. If you are going through the death of a loved one or another emotional event, talking therapy can allow you to gush out all your feelings that have been bottled up, with a licensed therapist who can help you rationalize and process the feelings. This can help alleviate anxiety, stress and feelings of guilt you have held inside, and allow you to heal and move on more quickly. 

•Have you tried any of these methods of therapy? I swear by EMDR!

Thank you for reading!

Health

5 Signs You’re Close To Burning Out

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Human beings can only take so much stress and physical exertion. If you’re constantly pushing your body and mind to the limits, you’ll eventually burn out.

Nobody wants to reach this ‘burn-out’ stage – you’ll either get to a point where you don’t want to get up in the morning or you’ll have a nervous breakdown. You could even push yourself to the point of physical illness or self-harm if you’re not careful.

Below are five signs that you may be getting close to burning out (and what you can do to prevent this).

You feel physically and emotionally exhausted

Physical and emotional exhaustion are a clear sign that you’ve been pushing yourself too hard. This is likely from denying yourself free time, and possibly even sacrificing sleep to juggle responsibilities.

You constantly feel restless – even after accomplishing a task

People on the brink of burn-out often feel as if they have an ever-growing queue of tasks to complete. As a result, when one task is accomplished, you may not feel any sense of gratitude, because there are still so many tasks left to take on.

You no longer see the value of certain responsibilities

Certain responsibilities may have lost the value that they once held. In most cases, people stop caring about their job. The idea of meeting targets and impressing customers may all seem meaningless. Similarly, you may start to see no value in doing tasks such as housework or exercise.

You feel like the quality of everything you do is slipping

You may feel that you’re constantly making mistakes or cutting corners to get things done. While you may just about be staying on top of things, there could be a sense that nothing is being done as well as you’d like.

Any free time you get is spent recovering

Instead of doing anything productive with your free time, you could find that any free time you get is spent recovering – you may not want to do anything more than nap or watch the TV. Even this recovery time may not be enough, causing exhaustion to continue building up.

How to prevent burnout

Think that you may be on the brink of a burn-out? If you act now, you may be able to prevent things getting any worse. Here are just a few ways to prevent burn-out.

Allow others to take some of the strain

Consider the responsibilities that you are juggling and whether there is any way of getting support. If parenthood is getting on top of you, consider asking someone to babysit regularly to take some of the strain off. If caring for aging loved ones is taking up a lot of your energy, you could consider looking into hospice care. At work meanwhile, there may be tasks that you can delegate to colleagues or get help with.  

Set clear boundaries

Try to keep clear boundaries between work and family life. Make sure that you’re finishing work at a certain time so that you can spend enough time with your family. Similarly, make sure that family life isn’t interfering with your work performance.

Avoid being a perfectionist

Perfectionists are often more prone to burn-out because they invest huge amounts of time ensuring that all the details are attended to. Not all these details may be necessary – it could be time to prioritize what is important.

Eliminate unhealthy sources of stress

Your stress could be due to an overly demanding employer or a toxic partner that expects too much of you. It could be time to quit your job or leave your partner to help eliminate the burden.   

•Are you feeling burned out? What do you do to try to remedy that?

Thank you for reading!

Health

4 Wellness Tips to Keep You At Your Healthiest

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You should always take your health seriously, and if you haven’t been up until this point, then now is the time to start. No more sitting back and thinking that your health is always going to be okay no matter what you do, because this simply isn’t the case. By not addressing your health and making sure you’re doing everything in your power to keep it in good shape, you are potentially harming yourself. As such, we’re going to be looking at some wellness tips in this article so that you can stay as healthy as you can be. Keep reading down below if you want to find out more.

Pay Attention to What You Eat

You should always pay attention your diet. Everyone has different preferences, different allergies, and that is why what works for one is not going to work for all. You’ve got to create a balanced diet based around what you do eat, and this can be harder than you think. If you are struggling, then you can always talk to a professional, such as a nutritionist, who will be able to help you come up with some fantastic ideas for meals that will keep you within your limits. 

It is important that you learn a whole range of ways to cook so that you’re not getting bored with what you are eating. Everything is okay in moderation, so don’t feel like you can’t eat something that you want

just because it isn’t considered healthy. However, when you can, the healthy snacks are going to be the best. For example, you could learn how to roast pumpkin seeds, add these to a meal, or simply eat them on their own. There are so many tasty snacks out there that you could discover if you just open your mind a little more.

Speak To A Medical Professional

Medical professionals have studied for years to get where they are, so you should see them if you think there is something wrong. Even if you just suspect that something is up because you have a hunch, it is always going to be a case of better safe than sorry. You don’t want to not see someone, and then down the line figure out you have an illness that could have been treated earlier, and more effectively. These people are here to help you, so let them do their job and keep you in the best possible health.

Even if you don’t think there is anything wrong with you, you should still be seeing your doctor every six months for a check-up. You never know, there are some silent illnesses out there that don’t have any symptoms, so the only way to know they are there is with tests. You need to be fully informed about your health as well, so if you do have any questions, make sure you ask them.

What About Your Mental Health?

Your mental health is just as important as your physical health, so you’ve got to be taking care of that too. If you notice that something isn’t quite right, take some kind of action. Speak to someone, make a lifestyle change of some sort, or whatever you think is best at the time. Mental health can be tricky, but there are measures in place to ensure that nobody has to suffer on their own. Another scary thing about mental health is that it can start to impact your physical health if it is left unchecked. You could notice things like tiredness, headaches, upset stomach, and a whole range of other symptoms that are linked to your mental health.

Talk to someone, whether that is someone you trust or a professional. A problem shared is a problem halved, and once you’re not dealing with it on your own anymore, everything seems a little more manageable.

Dare You To Move

Finally, we dare you to move. Exercise is crucial to maintaining your health because if you’re not careful, your muscles are going to lose mass, making you weak. Even something as simple as walking for half an hour per day is good enough to keep this away. You can complete higher intensity workouts if you like depending on what your goal is, but the minimum is to go for a walk at least four times per week.

We hope that you have found this article helpful. You should now know some of the best wellness tips that will keep you as healthy as possible. Put these into practice, and your health should stay in good condition, hopefully, for years to come.

Thank you for reading!